Key Points To Improve Your Small Business Confidence For Success

Economic experts state that most small businesses fail within a year or two. This is largely due to the fact that many business owners do not have the confidence to see their project through. Small business professionals must be confident in order to succeed.

Big or small, running a business is not easy. There are times it may feel like nothing is going according to plan. In these situations, it is imperative business owners persevere. Having confidence in your business enables you to get through tough times. Those who are passionate about their dream or product are less likely to give up.

How to Improve Business Confidence

As of this writing, the 2012 Summer Olympics are being held in London, England. Olympic athletes display qualities all small business owners should possess… perseverance, dedication and optimism (click to tweet). Watching the Olympics has been very inspiring as it displays the hard work, dedication and sacrifices athletes endure.

Those who struggle to keep their spirits up should seek out ways to improve their confidence. Listed below are a few methods that may help.

- Stay active by networking with other businesses, consumers and industry professionals.

- Think of new and creative ways to market your company and boost sales.

- Hold meetings with your team to discuss ideas, inject excitement and motivation.

- Use the Internet to find solutions for common problems.

Most people lose their confidence in business whenever problems feel too big to overcome. Thankfully, there are very few problems that cannot be resolved. Knowledgeable small business owners are generally more confident in their day-to-day activities. Realizing the fact that knowledge is power, take time to learn all you can about your particular market or niche. This information will help you deal with problems, should they arise.

Building a strong support team, utilizing the Internet for business solutions and marketing your company will generate increased focus, confidence and success.

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Beth! You’re comment about “wanting to learn more & the teacher/experience will appear” is spot-on. When we truly want to learn & grow, lessons/teachers/mentors can be found in all aspects of our lives…we just have to be ready & willing to accept the knowledge. In order to be successful, personally & professionally, we need to be open to all possibilities & always willing to consider new avenues & approaches!
Wishing you a fantastic rest of the week & wonderful weekend!

Great post and analogy with Athletes. Confidence can be the downfall so many, not just for small businesses but generally in our own abilities. We have to remember that sometimes we just have to get busy and trust that everything will fall into place, that when we want to learn more that the teacher or experience will appear and over time our confidence will grow before our very eyes.

Glad you enjoyed the information and could relate it to your life! What you said is so true…successful entrepreneurs/small business owners (take note of the word “successful”) are, indeed, similar to athletes. They must work hard, work long hours, be in it for the long haul & pick themselves up and move forward, learning from any pitfalls that occur along the way…just as successful athletes do! Also, as you mentioned, if you never have any “learning experiences,” that means you’re not stretching yourself & not pushing forward…you’re standing still & stagnating — yuck! Not how you want to be thought of nor how you should want to exist, that’s for sure! Thanks so much for dropping in and sharing your thoughts. Have a super week!

Thanks for stopping by, Ryan, and sharing your thoughts! You’re absolutely correct…just keep moving forward…because if we allow our fears to stop us in our tracks we will never progress (professionally or personally). I like the team concept you mentioned. Even if you are a one-person-wonder, your “team” can be mentors or fellow entrepreneurs that you meet with (virtually or in person) and bounce ideas around! Terrific! Hope you have a great Sunday!

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blogger in the event you aren’t already. Cheers!

Roberta: I completely agree with your comment about being fearful of asking for help. For some strange reason, we tend to believe that asking for help makes us appear “weaker” or “less confident/capable,” when that is absolutely not the case! Have you ever noticed that if the wording is changed from “asking for help” to “collaborating” the whole atmosphere changes? I can honestly say that I’ve always learned the most when collaborating with colleagues, more so than whenever I’ve attended a class/seminar and had just one person “speaking at me.” The more comfortable we become with the collaboration process, the more we learn and the path to success becomes a less bumpy ride! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

I have to agree to some extent with all your commentators, especially Roy. Confidence is a matter of your own inner conversation as well as the support you get from outside but so often people forget that they need help and they become fearful of asking because they may not look confident. I love some of the comments I have seen from the Kiwi athletes on their wins at the Olympics. It is always a team effort. And the loss, is always their responsibility for what happens on the day.

Nicely put, Steve! Sounds like the perfect “trifecta” for success. I like the description “mastermind” in reference to your peer group! Not only would a mastermind peer group bolster confidence, they would also enhance your success with their own unique skill sets. Great combination and great comments…thanks! Have a wonderful weekend!

A great plan, a great coach, and a mastermind group of peers who are on the journey with you are the best confidence boosters I can think of. A strategic plan helps us know our purpose and strategy. A great coach helps us formulate the best plan and strategies. And our reference group keeps our spirits up as we journey toward our destination.

Marquita: I hear what you’re saying. I feel like confidence & initiative almost go hand-in-hand. Someone who is confident in his/her abilities, generally (not always) has the type of wherewithal to jump in, see what needs to be done & do it…no matter how “big” or “small” the task/project. I completely agree with you regarding the way one sees obstacles. You can take the negative stance & say, “Whoa is me! I can’t do this/that because this/that stands in my way.” Or, one can choose to see obstacles as I do and say, “Yes, that is something to consider and work on. It is something I can learn from & use that knowledge to better myself or my business in the future.” It’s a choice. It’s a conscience choice to look at obstacles negatively or positively. Your last comment about those who are overwhelmingly confident made me smile because I, too, have seen that type of person far too many times to count!
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Great article and advice Lynn. Like you and so many others I’ve worked with a lot of entrepeneurs and I have to say that as importance as confidence is, as an employer or coach, what I really look for in someone is initiative. Are they proactive about learning and see obstacles as opportunities … all the confidence in the world doesn’t mean squat unless action is taken. For better or worse, when I was in direct sales I found the people who were quick to tell me how they were going to conquer the world were more often than not the first to throw in the towel.

Hello Sylviane! The comparison just hit me as I was glued to the Olympics, mesmerized by the athletes’ skill, dedication & determination. During interviews, most all of them spoke about how, even as small children, they KNEW they would be an Olympic athlete one day…that spoke volumes to me about the power of belief/confidence. Additionally, it is interesting to watch them visualize their routine — going through every movement in their mind — just before performing. I liken that to a small business owner creating his/her plan, thinking about all the “what if’s” and planning for unexpected pitfalls along the path to success. Yes, confidence can be a powerful motivator & a force to be reckoned with in the mind of a determined entrepreneur, like yourself! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughtful comments. Have a great rest of the week!

Greetings Mariella! Yes, it seems that is the way the world works & I guess for good reason. Some people, like yourself, take on the leadership role and take a (knowledgeable & well thought out) leap of faith, becoming successful entrepreneurs. Others are not able to take that leap or are more comfortable letting those leaders take the leap & working for them. There is a “method to the madness” because not everyone can be a leader nor can everyone be a follower! You should be proud of your capabilities and we should all take pride in whatever role we play, as long as we are working towards personal & professional success! As always, thanks for sharing your thoughts and I hope you have a terrific week!

I like the athlete comparison. It’s really hard to not think about failing in a business. Sometimes I see people that have great ideas and great skills but they are so afraid to make the step from employee to entrepreneur. Maybe some are just comfortable that way. For me, I try to put my worries aside and just go on no matter how scary it is.

Hello Mayura! I’m glad you found the tips helpful and enjoyed the article. Personally, I like to think of “failures” as “learning experiences.” Failure has such a negative tone associated with it, whereas if we just change our thought process a bit and look at the positive aspects…we can see how much we learn from a particular experience and utilize that information to our benefit in the future! Your observation about how we react to changes is great! We can’t control everything, that’s for sure, but we can control our reactions. Excellent point! As far as investing in research & development, there are so many avenues that don’t require a large financial investment. In this particular article, I included a hyperlink to the Small Business Administration which offers an abundance of support for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Additionally, never underestimate the power of connections you’ve built via LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. — there are many professionals who are more than happy to share their expertise with you and, if desired, mentor you along the way. Think about those suggestions and let me know what you decide. As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a super week!

Ahhhh, Nick…you are absolutely right! Passion is a must, in my opinion as well. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, it’s just a “job” & you’ll never truly experience success (personally or professionally). Passion shines through and can make a REAL difference! Thank you so much for adding that important observation and be sure to have a wonderful week!

Excellent assessment, Roy. Too much confidence can lead to tragic results. It’s walking that fine line that is the tricky part, right? Additionally, your comment about “lack of knowledge” is correct. One must be schooled in the complexities of his/her chosen market as well as the skills necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. Experiencing success entails much more than having a great idea, correct? Finally, your observation regarding “overnight success” is spot-on. I feel so much of that thought process is media (tv) driven — the ‘fairytale” story aspect makes for a much better story than does the reality of years and years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. In my opinion, that leads straight back to the knowledge aspect. If you do your homework, you should be well aware of what exactly it will take to succeed! Thanks so much for sharing and adding such thought-provoking comments. Have a great week!

I’m reading great tips here Fail is something we are afraid of (Knowingly or unwittingly) and mostly we are open to the unknown feeling of failing rather than thinking about ways to figure things out as we face. Sometimes strategies doesn’t work out as we plan but the best thing is how we react to changes in our businesses, no?

Confidence is really matters as I think. Personally, it’s the key for me to handle things well upon any terrible situation I may face with. It’s more worthy than defending our businesses from failing. However without confidence and risk, we can accelerate our businesses, right? Well, we need a back up plan too.

One thing for you, what do you think about investing on research and development for small businesses. Is it too risky?

Perseverance, Dedication and Optimism and if I may add Lynn, I would add PASSION.. I find out the hard way that by not following my passion failed miserably… Yes, your point of having perseverance, dedication and optimism is great.. and that is real important… with out it is almost sure everyone would fail in business and in any other area of life. Thanks for conntinuing sharing so great information for everyone to benefit.

Lynn, everything you said is basically true. However, we seem to see more failures due to two other reasons.
The first is the lack of knowledge present in the nascent entrepreneur. Which is linked to their inability to seek help. That also is a function of confidence. One can’t be confident if one does not know enough- or is too arrogant to seek help. (Oh, I know Americans think that is overconfidence, but it really is hubris.)

The second reason is that the nascent entrepreneur failed to comprehend the work that would be involved in having their enterprise succeed. They read all these “overnight success” fables (you know- after five years, the person was an overnight success). And, as such, they lose the confidence that they will be successful.